


Camellia Petals

by BlueberryLimoncello



Category: Bleach, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sorry for the summary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-03-19 12:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18969385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueberryLimoncello/pseuds/BlueberryLimoncello
Summary: Hitsugaya walks into a...tea shop? Everybody has secrets and Kagome is no exception. So when hollows are coming out in force and repressed memories start floating about, she's go some explaining to do.





	1. What's the Tea, Miss?

Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya needed to leave the office, immediately. It was the middle of summer and the hot air made the office stuffy and uncomfortable. Even though he had spent the better part of the day cooped up in said office completing paperwork, there was still a substantial pile of it left. Fixing his papers into two piles for when he returned, Hitsugaya sighed; the stack that he had finished was considerably smaller than the amount that was left and just thinking about it caused the pounding in his head to increase. He roughly combed a hand through his snowy hair, inadvertently making it stick up in places.

Getting up from the desk, Hitsugaya tugged on his sandals and left the room, hoping a walk would ease some of his suffering and settle his mind for the long hours he no doubt had left of not only his own reports but also his lieutenant’s. He followed the polished wooden paths that bordered the buildings, connecting some, until he came to the edge of the Seireitei. Outside lay the Rukon Districts where civilians enjoyed peaceful lives. Generally the closer the district to the Seireitei the wealthier and better off it was, thus the farther districts like the Twentieth were reduced to slums. It was a well-known fact among the general populace that the living standards in The Rukongai declined sharply beyond the Fiftieth District.

It had been a short stroll and Hitsugaya turned to go back to his work before deciding that the papers could wait. The day was hot and that meant he disliked the idea of going back to his office more than usual. The nearest gate into the Rukongai from his current location would deposit him into the Fourth Rukon District, which he deemed satisfactory enough, where he could continue his escape.

Exiting the Seireitei, he walked along the road, passing by several shops, when one restaurant in particular caught his eye. It was a small, rather plain tea shop with a handmade sign. A seemingly empty two-story building squished between two other shops, which made it look even shabbier. That was, in itself, odd; usually the shops in this distract were at least high middle class however this one had a more rundown appearance and homey quality to it. Like all the other buildings, the roof was made with terracotta tiles while the walls were a creamy white. The shop had two sliding doors made of woven bamboo in the front and a small overhang dividing the top floor from the bottom floor, the former being the smaller of the two. On either side of the doors were medium-sized windows with little wooden shutters. It was an altogether quaint shop nestled on the inner border of District Four. If the outside of the shop had been better maintained Hitsugaya supposed it would have been incredibly popular. As it was he was nearing the end of his self designated break time and at the sight of the shop allowed himself a cup of tea before heading back.

Walking through the door he was surprised to find a rather wide, spacious room. It seemed a more western styled restaurant with tall cushioned seats and high tables. Adverse to the outside, the inside of the building was tastefully decorated and clean. Looking on he observed the long rice paper partitions dividing the well lit room from another darker one behind it, both partitions extended from one side of the room to around a third of the way in, leaving a sizable gap between them. He walked closer to the back room, his curiosity piqued.

Passing through to the other room made it seemed like he had jumped worlds, and was almost disorienting in its contrariety. Hung from the ceiling were white paper lanterns, from which a soft glow emanated. In this part of the restaurant there was a total of five chabudai tables around each of which were two or three large cushions. The tables were set up traditionally but with some modern touches. A glass instead of a ceramic cup, forks and knives in lieu of chopsticks, and other similar oddities. It was a refreshing mix of new and old, pleasant in its simplicity.

Hitsugaya sat down at a table and waited for a server to come out of the back. He didn’t have to wait long, as she did, he made eye contact with her letting her know that he wanted to order, not that it was difficult to notice him seeing as he was the only one there. She nodded in his direction and came quickly over to his table.

She was a petite woman with tumbling black hair and surprisingly blue eyes, dressed in a traditional kimono style top, that went to mid thigh, and a pair of hakama. An interesting combination he noted, just like the decor. The kimono, which would have been indecently short on its own, was a gentle green with small white and black flowers scattered diagonally across the whole garment, leaving only the right shoulder and the bottom left corner bare of flora. The hakama were contrastingly simple, unadorned, and black, similar to the standard Shinigami issued uniform but Hitsugaya knew they weren’t because all shinigami lived in the seireitei as per the code.

"Welcome, I’m Kagome Higurashi and I will be serving you" she said, “What can I get you?” she added with a bright smile.

Hitsugaya skimmed the menu that had been on the table when he sat down,

"The Kitsune Udon please."

He wasn’t particularly hungry but since he was there he might as well see if the food was any good.

“Of course, anything else?” she replied, her smile still blindingly bright.

“No, thank you” he answered politely. The exchange was short and concise as a conversation between a waitress and customer should be. Kagome nodded silently and left to get his order.

When she left, Hitsugaya returned to his earlier observation of the general layout of the place. He thought that it was rather skillfully done, offering everyone their own preference of style while they dined. It was unlike others he had been to, many of which either stayed traditional or had completely adopted a western style. This place seemed timeless, neither here nor there, a seamless mix of the two very different cultures.

Kagome came back with a rectangular tray in her hands, cups and a teapot on top of it. She put the tray down on the table, carefully placing the teapot on an iron trivet and setting one cup before him.

"I didn't order tea." Hitsugaya stated, eyes narrowing minutely at the girl, slightly suspicious of the steaming drink.

“I know but no one else is here and I thought you might enjoy one of the house specials,” she answered, a smirk growing on her face, “this is a tea shop after all.”

It was true that he was the only one in the shop at the moment but he still watched her like a hawk as she poured two cups and didn't relax until she had sipped from one of them. She seemed to know what he was looking for and catered to him, pouring the tea slightly slower making sure that her hands were visible the whole time, wordlessly showing the Captain that the tea was not poisoned. Hitsugaya calmly reached for his own cup making sure that his face was neutral and betraying nothing of his tiny lingering suspicion.

Hitsugaya’s hyper aware gaze was brought to the soft smile now present on her lips and he froze immediately stopping the drink from going down his throat and unnoticeably spitting it back into his cup. Kagome drank once more from her own cup before announcing that she was going back to get his food.

Hitsugaya was silent as she left and pondered his thoughts. Officers had been assassinated before, though rarely, and he was always prepared for the off chance that it might happen to him. As he reviewed the facts, however, he was forced to conclude that the tea in front of him wasn’t poisoned. There had been no chance for her to slip anything in that he had seen and being this close to the seireitei meant that an attempt of this nature would be not only foolish but suicidal since any fast acting poisons would have killed her when she drank it and any slow ones would be recognized by his own reitsu.

Once the thought of a potential assassination plot was out of the way it left Hitsugaya open to letting other thoughts filter through his mind. The light taste and subtle sweetness of the tea lingered on his tongue. It had tasted faintly like watermelon and he slightly regretted spitting it back out.

The tea was good, he grudgingly admitted. It was a nice enough place so why was it so empty? The service was good, if understaffed seeing as he did not witness any other worker in the small restaurant besides the girl. The fourth district was one of the safest parts of the Rukongai being so close to the Seireitei, so what was wrong with this place that no one dared enter?

Kagome came back with his udon, disrupting his train of thought as she set it on the table, steam rising lazily from the dish. She then left him alone once more, taking her tea cup with her. Hitsugaya wanted to know the answers to his questions but he had to get back to office. He sighed remembering the stack of paperwork waiting for him. Placing a generous tip on the table he exited the establishment, leaving his food untouched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been previously posted on FF.net but I know some people prefer the AO3 layout so here you go! Lemme know what you like or dislike and I will do my best to fix things up in future chapters!  
> Much love, BlueberryLimoncello


	2. Foxy Momma

Hitsugaya showed up two days after his first visit and again the day after that. Currently entering the small shop, he felt a small smile grow on his face despite the day's events. He picked a table in the back and sat down as he spotted Kagome pop out from inside the kitchen. He waited in amusement as she blinked, looking owlishly around until she saw him. She smiled brightly before darting back into the kitchen and emerging a minute or so later with a teapot in hand of his now usual tea.

She set everything down and stood to the side as Hitsugaya drank his tea, shifting from foot to foot. Kagome seemed at a loss for words, wringing her hands and looking around the room while he drank in silence. He wasn't going to say anything to break the quiet, finding her uncomfortable expression entertaining. He was almost disappointed when she finally spoke.

"What's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head slightly, confused.

His eyes narrowed slightly at her question, "Why would anything be wrong?"

It was almost unnerving to him how she was able to deduce that he wasn't in his normally calm mood.

"Well," she pointed out, “For one, your shoulders are tense and two: you're here again even though you were here yesterday."   

Hitsugaya was surprised by her attentiveness to such detail, it should have set him on edge but he'd had her name checked in the archives and she came out clean; she was registered as having arrived about forty years ago, her record was clear and she had never exhibited any power. At this point, Hitsugaya considered her harmless.

He was about to answer but was interrupted by loud crash sounding almost directly above him in what he presumed to be the upstairs.

"What was that?" He asked.

Kagome smiled thinly,  "What was what?"

He gave her a look that clearly asked 'are you serious?' as the sound of skittering steps seemed to echo through the empty shop. She was about to say something when a small fox burst into the room coming through a door in the back that had not been properly closed. It ran under the table bumping the low surface and spilling scalding tea everywhere, the liquid stopping just before the edge of the table and narrowly missing Hitsugaya.

"Shippou!" Kagome hissed reprimanded the canine.

It had a russet toned coat with black socks and bright, intelligent, green eyes. The creature had the grace to look ashamed but Hitsugaya caught the look it shot his way as it curled itself around Kagome's feet. Perhaps it hadn’t been so much of an accident. Kagome's face was flushed with embarrassment as she picked up the fox and left to grab some towels to clean up the mess. She returned without the animal and once she had finished cleaning she took the liberty to sit down across from him and pour herself the rest of the tea in a spare cup that had survived the mishap. He raised an eyebrow at her behavior but truly didn't mind. 

"So," she said after a small sip from her cup, "What's eating at you?"

"A bit familiar aren't we now" Hitsugaya retorted not entirely sure he wanted to broach the topic.

She blushed, flustered and fumbled with her words "Well... I... I just thought that..."

He sighed heavily, letting her off the hook, "It's nothing I can tell you about it."

This got her attention but he paid no mind as she was usually very attentive when talking with him. She looked pointedly at the fox that had once again slipped into the room and was now comfortably curled up in the corner, "Are you sure?”

"Hmm" he sipped his tea, "there is someone who has done missing. Many would like to leave it that way"

"Oh?" Her interest was peaked "What were they like to have people ready to give up on them?"

Hitsugaya told the story to give Kagome background information, leaving out the secret subjects and only giving her a vague sense of situation, "....he was powerful but brash and undisciplined, breaks the rules and had no acknowledgment of the consequences." Toward the end, his opinion was evident in the slight irritation coloring his tone. Throughout his whole rant Kagome listened, nodding to show she was still paying attention at appropriate times. When he finished she was silent for a moment, speechless, before commenting lamely, "What a guy."  
Hitsugaya snorted in agreement.

"From what you’ve told me," she started, hesitant, "It seems like he just doesn't know what he's doing when it comes to etiquette but that's only because no one ever took the time to teach him. You said he was new to a few things. You can't just throw the rule book at him and expect him to do everything just right. Shinigami go through years of training and discipline before they graduate right? But it sounds like he didn’t have that. Granted, his attitude might be there to stay but if someone actually took the time to explain things to him it would definitely help".

When she had first started, Hitsugaya was ready to tune her out but toward the end he was pleasantly surprised at the logic of her advice, not that it would help anyone now, but it was still nice to know that inside her mind was a level-headed voice.

After that, Hitsugaya came often to the shop to relax and talk with Kagome. She was a good listener for the Tenth Captain and tolerated his sometimes gruff attitude with a saint-like patience. Kagome also found herself at ease in the presence of Toshiro Hitsugaya. He was logical, with a solution to almost any problem she brought up, not that she brought up many but nevertheless she found his advice invaluable. The Captain became her first regular and she began reserving a table for him to sit at however it was only a matter of time until he brought up the apparent lack of patrons in the shop.

"Kagome," 

Hm?" She looked up from the crossword she was doing across the table from him.

"Why do I never see any other people here?" He asked, slightly offended on her behalf.

She kept her eyes down trained on her crossword,

"What’s  a diplomats headquarters?" She asked, brow creased and gnawing on her pencil, “Seven letters.” she added.

Hitsugaya cringed "Don't bite your pencil and you're avoiding the question."

Kagome did as he asked, setting the chewed pencil down. She sighed, glancing at him before finding the tabletop incredibly interesting.

"It has to do with the rumors that surrounds this place. The locals think a monster lives here because back when Shippou was young he would be very vocal and he would claw at everything so hearing that and seeing claw marks everywhere made people think that a konoka-jiji lived here."

Toshiro scoffed "Foolish, they should know better"

Kagome met his gaze with a warm smile "I don't mind"

"Embassy" he said suddenly, changing the subject.

"Huh?" She looked at him, confused.

"The answer to your crossword, it's Embassy."

"Oh! Thanks!" She exclaimed writing the word down

"Hey Toshiro," she began hesitantly, more than a little awkward, "When's your next mission?"

He took a sip from his tea, not particularly wanting to think about it, "Tomorrow morning."

"Oh, let me know how it goes ok?" she was acting strange but before he could ask about it, a black butterfly flew in and alighted on his shoulder transferring its message to the Captain. He stood up suddenly, grabbing his Zanpakuto from the floor, and began to leave. He paused as he was going out the door to look back at his friend still sitting at the table staring at him in slight alarm,

"Change of plans... I'll let you know how it goes"


	3. In Trouble

Months later Toshiro continued to visit Kagome's tea shop. It became regular to see the Tenth Squad Captain walking the streets in the Fourth Rukon District and he had made a habit of visiting once every other week, sometimes more, to relax and calm his mind. Kagome's place had become a haven and surprisingly good hiding spot for him to escape his Lieutenant.

More people began to trickle into Kagome’s shop thinking that with Hitsugaya being there it made it safe for them to be there too. Slowly but surely the rumor of a demon residing in the small shop faded away, forgotten from the minds of the people. The tea shop got busier and although Kagome tried to keep a table open for Toshiro, with the amount of customers she had now, it became difficult but he was happy that his initial observation of the potential for her shop had turned into truth. She felt that, as one of her first friends and customers he should always have a place in her café so she set up a small table in the kitchen for him.

It was one of her more hectic days when Toshiro came into her shop. Though it would have been hard for any random passerby to notice, his normal aloof stance was tense and exhausted as he walked in. Kagome had been weaving through the occupied tables, seeing if anyone needed anything, but stopped halfway through her quarry when she spotted him in the corner of her eye. When her gaze alighted on the Captain she redirected her course immediately and walked directly up to him.

She came over without her usual hustle and instead stepped lightly, carefully, with tightly controlled steps. Had there not been other patrons around, Hitsugaya was sure she would have been stomping, waist length ebony hair practically fanning out menacingly.

"Where have you been for the past four weeks?" Kagome asked visibly struggling to keep her voice level. She put her hands on her hips as she waited for his answer, an angry frown already on her lips.

Hitsugaya smirked unashamed "Am I still welcome?" Kagome huffed, knowing full well that he was avoiding her question, but let it slide anyway.

"Come on. I've got a table but it's in the kitchen, I hope you don't mind,”

"Not at all"

Now she knew something was off. Hitsugaya was silent as they weaved between tables not making any attempt at the usual playful banter as she led him to the back of the shop. Passing through the single door of the kitchen she sat him down at a western style table on a high, rough-hewn, wooden stool.

"I'll be right back." She told him and left him there while she looked for one of the people she'd hired to help with the shop. She spotted the girl cleaning one of the newly vacated tables. Coming up behind her, Kagome tapped her slender shoulder to get her attention. The girl was taller than Kagome with dark hair, tied low, and pretty brown eyes. She was dressed in a similar outfit with black pants and a kimono, though hers was pink with large, clean cut, sections of maroon.

"Sango," Kagome called out to the girl, "I've got a friend that just came in, haven't seen them in a long time, do you think you can handle the tables for a little while?"

Sango turned around, cleaning rag in hand, and smiled, "Sure thing Kags, I got this." she raised her arm and flexed to emphasize her competence.

Sango truly was a lifesaver. Kagome remembered when she had first met her. Sango had been looking for a place to stay in the Fourth District, a little after Kagome had first met Hitsugaya, and Kagome was looking for help to pay the rent. It was convenient at first but the two became fast friends and Kagome eventually extended joint ownership of the shop to the girl, in case she ever needed to leave for whatever reason.

"Thank you so much!" Kagome almost gave the girl a hug but stopped at the last minute because Sango had a tall pile of dishes in her other hand and Kagome was devout believer in Murphy's law.

She strode back to the kitchen happy to be able to play a catch up with her favorite Captain. Putting some tea on a spare kettle she made her way over to Hitsugaya, plopping herself directly across from him on a rickety bar stool,

"So," Kagome probed, rocking back and forth on her stool, "where were you for the past four weeks?"

Toshiro sighed. He was about to confess when the kitchen door opened and a rather large busted woman came in. She had orange-blonde hair and was dressed in black Shinigami robes, a pink scarf around her shoulders, 

"Captain! A kind waitress told me you'd be here, I dropped off more paperwork from the mission at your desk, the one from a few weeks ago, I'm taking the day....." she then realized she had interrupted something "...off"

"Matsumot-" he began, exasperated, but Kagome had already spotted the white bandages peeking out from beneath his uniform, she put together all the pieces and boy was she pissed.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya!" Kagome interrupted, standing from her seat. "Do you know how worried I was?! No letter, no warning, just gone! I even approached one of the Lieutenants but they said they didn't know where you were! How hard is it to send a letter?! Hm?!"

Kagome turned to the poor woman still standing in the kitchen doorway,

"When did he even get back?" She reminded Matsumoto of an angry mother. The lieutenant twiddled her thumbs, a little nervous to be suddenly involved in the argument.

"Well, ah... let's see," she didn’t get to really respond before the shorter woman had rounded on her Captain.

Matsumoto wisely slid out of the kitchen and away from the other two, hearing Kagome reprimand the Tenth Captain for being “reckless” and “not stopping by sooner” as she left. Matsumoto shook her head, her poor Captain, even she wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that woman’s ire, though the Lieutenant was glad the Captain had a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out she's waiting tables and serving looks ;)  
> Also, let me know if you spot something wrong! I'll do my best to fix as always!


	4. Midnight Visitors

The moon was already past its highest point in the sky, traveling down towards the horizon when Kagome heard someone knocking on her doors. She slept on the second floor in a room at the end of a long hall so when she was forced to get up from her wonderfully warm bed, accidentally pushing Shippou off the end of it, she silently cursed whoever was there. Shippou barked at her, annoyed, before jumping back onto the bed to resettle himself and return to his own sleep. With each step Kagome took her irritation grew until she reached the door, ready to give the person on the other side a piece of her mind. Kagome in a cream colored sleeping yukata, her hair in a thick braid and a baby pink blanket draped around her shoulders, yanked open the sliding door with a growl,

"Who in their right mind, at this ungodly hour, would…" her voice faltered. In front of her stood her snowy haired friend looking most uncomfortable.

"Could I," Hitsugaya cleared his throat, "That is to say, would you allow me to stay here for the night?"

His face remained passive and confident but his eyes flickered to the right for a split-second, betraying him to Kagome who considered herself fluent in Toshiro-ese. She nodded, curious as to what had happened, as she stepped aside to let him enter. Automatically Hitsugaya found his way to his usual table and plopped soundlessly onto a cushion. Seeing the icy Captain actually ‘plop’ onto his cushion got Kagome's attention. Clearly it was code red situation and called for a strong brew of tea.

Kagome left and came back from the kitchens, teapot in one hand and a mug in the other. She placed both things on the table, letting Toshiro pour for himself as she sat down across from him.

She rested her chin on her hands, elbows on the table,

"So Shiro-chan, why are you here?" _of all places_ she thought, "Specifically after hours."

Kagome purposely called him "Shiro-chan" out of pure spite, having been privy to that gem of information from their many discussions, but he woke her up she reasoned, he deserved it.

Toshiro sighed and gracelessly let his head thud onto the table. She winced.

"Matsumoto is most definitely at my house lying in wait to ambush me. She won't stop pestering me about a pay raise even though I've told her no, going so far as to ambush me at every turn."

Kagome almost laughed "And?"

"And I needed to stay somewhere for the night. She wouldn't think that I would have disturbed you at this hour." Hitsugaya sighed again letting Kagome know just how tired he really was.

"Normally she would be right, you know" she pointed out.

"I know but-"

"But this is an exception" Kagome finished, sympathetic to the Captain.

"Yes."

"There's an empty room upstairs at the end of the hall." She offered to him.

He nodded silently, finished his tea, and the two of them made their way up creaking wooden stairs that were usually hidden by the door in the back of the room.

Before Toshiro closed the door to his room, as Kagome was also doing, he spoke up, "Thanks Kagome"

She laughed a little, "You're welcome" before closing her door and getting ready for bed.

 

 

She had finally been deeply and contently asleep when she was awoken again, this time by Shippou pawing at her face.  Now semi-awake she could hear things crashing into each other and the groans of collapsing buildings, all of it sounding too close for comfort in her opinion. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and prepared to go outside to see what was causing such a ruckus.

At that moment however, Toshiro slammed open her door, effectively shattering her train of thought and startling her into razor sharp awareness.

"Hollow," he yelled in between what she could now identify as roars, "stay here."

She nodded seriously and waited until he had left before running over to her closet.

"Bullshit I'm staying here" she grumbled.

She threw open the closet door, diving through the mess of clothes until her fingers reached the smooth, familiar surface of a sword sheath. Grinning in success she withdrew from her closet with a beautiful Zanpakuto gripped in her small hand. It's sheath was a dark polished ebony wood; it was unadorned except for a carving of a small fox landing daintily from a jump, one paw on the ground before the rest. The hilt was a bright grey, that seemed to almost shine, wrapped in a dark navy blue. The guard, like the sheath, was dark and simple.

"Shippou!" She called, waiting for the fox to appear at her side, "Let's go".

The pair rushed out of the shop, Kagome still in her sleeping attire with Shippou riding on her shoulders, as she flash stepped to the source of the commotion.

When she arrived, Kagome surveyed the situation. It didn't look good. In front of her were five Adjuchas, all massive and ugly and having a grand old time swatting at the Shinigami at the scene like annoying mosquitoes on an otherwise beautiful day.  She saw Toshiro taking on three of them, barely managing to keep them at bay and another Shinigami taking on the other two. His deep red hair caught her attention for a second before her gaze flickered to the “Lieutenant” badge on his arm. Looking back at the main problem, Kagome noted how odd it was that even one Adjucha was in the Rukongai, let alone five. They usually traveled alone.

 _How did they get this far in?_ She spared a thought to the question before shoving it out of mind at the sight of several Shinigami on the ground, each with varying degrees of injuries, some pinned under the rubble.

 _'Let's not stand around'_ her Zanpakuto whispered in her mind.

_'Mm'_

She rushed to the nearest Shinigami, clutching her sword tightly, Shippou running at her heels. Still standing, Kagome scanned the woman with a practiced eye. She had a broken arm and some scratches but Kagome deemed that she could wait a little, her wounds not nearly as bad as the others she had glimpsed when she first glanced at the fallen soldiers. She looked once more at all the Shinigami in the area before finally spotting the worst one. He was hidden in the rubble of a crumbling home, half his leg caught underneath a thick wooden beam. He was barely conscious but had enough sense to remain silent so as not draw the hollow’s attention. Kagome ran to him and began to heave the beam off him, causing what was left of the building to groan and tremble.

When Kagome finally got it off, the Shinigami crawled a small distance away, jaws tight with pain. She went to let the beam down slowly but a massive claw swept toward her, causing her to let it crash to the ground as she crouched to avoid the attack. She unsheathed her sword and blocked another swipe at the last minute. Fortunately neither she nor her new patient were hurt but it did alert her presence to the two Shinigami still fighting. Hitsugaya saw her and maneuvered towards Kagome who was still struggling to block the attacks from her Adjucha. He swiftly distracted it, releasing her to tend to the soldier, bringing the large hollow’s attention back to him as he drew it away.


	5. Red

Knowing her cover was blown, Kagome gave up her stealth and shouted at Hitsugaya and the unnamed Lieutenant,

"If you could make sure that doesn't happen again I would appreciate it!"

She really couldn’t afford to waste time. People needed help and by the Gods she was going to give it to them.

"What are you even doing!?" The Tenth Captain shouted back, hacking and slashing at the surrounding Hollows, "Get out of here!"

"Not a chance," she retorted under her breath as she slung the man's arm around her shoulder and led him further from the fight. She laid him down on the street and analyzed the extent of the damage. His clothing was torn and bloody, though it was hard to tell from far away with the black of the uniform but his pulse was strong, if a little erratic, and seemed fine for now. His right leg and chest were the problem. It was literally a bloody mess, the flow stemming from multiple slashes and claw marks. The chest was torn to shreds, in one spot she could see an exposed rib bone, while the leg had been broken and lay at an angle having also been pierced through the thigh by a large splintered piece of wood.

 _This really hasn’t been your day huh?_ She thought.

Kagome sat down cross-legged and got ready to heal when Shippou padded up to her and sat beside her, the image of calm and serene.

_'Be careful, there are many others that also need healing'_

She nodded and got to work, changing her course of action. Instead of a power burst of healing energy to completely heal the man she would need to concentrate on only the worst of the damage. She wordlessly pressed one hand on the top and one to the side of his chest and then began the process. Her hands glowed a soft light pink, mending the body beneath her palms inch by inch. Kagome was forced to leave many of the more shallow wounds on his chest as they were, in hopes of conserving her energy. Next she began to work on the leg. Looking the nameless Shinigami in the eye she spoke as soft as possible but still loud enough to be heard over the din,

"Don't scream"  

He nodded at her words and closed his eyes tightly.

Quick as she could, Kagome set the broken leg straight. Leveling her hands above the mangled limb she sent her reiatsu out in calm, controlled waves, giving off a soft pink shine once again. Ever so slowly, the bones melded back together under reconnecting tendons, ligaments and muscle as the skin knitted itself together on top of it all. Kagome was close to being done when she felt a breeze blowing her loose hair into her face. Her peripheral view told her that the red haired Lieutenant had protected them from another killing blow.

Finally, she pulled back her power and all that was left of the leg wound was a long scratch. It still bled freely, dripping thickly onto the ground, but it was no longer a threat to the man’s life. She had to leave everything else as it was. Stumbling a little, they both rose from the ground,

"Can you run?" Kagome asked the man noting the pained expression he wore.

"I think so"

"Good, then lead the reinforcements here" she ordered him in what she hoped was a commanding tone. Goodness knows how terrible she was at ‘commanding’ people.

"Yes ma'am" he nodded, before limping quickly away from the battle.

Kagome wasted no time going to the others, most were simply knocked unconscious with cuts and scrapes but it was the few exceptions to that description that worried her. They had large slashes on the abdomen, or the arms and one even had a gash across the chest which was dangerously close to the heart and neck. She knew she couldn’t get to them all in time that was for sure. Even for a Shinigami, the blood loss had to be near fatal at this point. Kagome’s mind raced and her hands started to shake as she stood in the middle of the carnage.

_'I can’t- I can’t save them'_

Images of another battle flashed through her mind, nameless and faceless people bleeding out on the ground in front of her while she did nothing to help.

 _'-ome! Kagome!'_ Her sword spirit’s words finally reached her, shaking her out of her memories,

_'You can do this'_

Kagome looked down at Shippou still standing beside her and nodded grimly. The commotion in her thoughts subsided, a new idea came to her mind; a dangerous one.

She ran to the fallen Shinigami and dragged them away from the fighting, she dragged them _all_ away from the fighting. Sweating and gasping from the effort of hauling their dead weight to one area, she sat down next to them.

 _'This isn’t what I had in mind... Are you sure-_ _'_ the all too familiar voice in her mind started.

 _'They'll die if I don't! You know that.'_ She shot back, _'_ _Besides, anything else would take too long.'_

No longer up to debate the issue, Kagome gathered all the reiatsu she had left to give and sent it to the people around her in a massive burst, sending a flash of pink into the night like a beacon. The tidal wave of power she sent forth was painful and tore at the thin veins she had constructed over the years to channel her power. It had been too long since she had used this much reiatsu and it shocked her, the violence with which the energy surged from her. She could feel herself falling over even as she desperately tried to stay conscious, shivers rattling her body. Everything was spinning, swirling and heaving, making her feel sick as black invaded her vision.

 _'This was a terrible idea'_ she was unsure who exactly –between the two of them– had thought it, only that it was undeniably true.

Kagome caught a glimpse of red before her view was obscured by Shippou’s bushy tail in her face as he snarled viciously at something in front of her.


	6. Kenny

Kagome woke up to an incessant prodding at her side and something wet on her cheek. She could feel the slight padding beneath her and a scratchy blanket on top of her as she slowly came into consciousness. Opening her still heavy eyes, she came face to face with the russet furred muzzle of Shippou, his nose being the wet thing she had felt on her cheek. Kagome groaned and closed her eyes, distinctly feeling the stress she had done to herself with her latest stunt. The poking in her side stopped and instead of a fox Kagome now opened her eyes to the face of a little girl. The girl couldn't have been more than six with bubblegum pink hair and rounded brown eyes. It took Kagome a moment for her half awake brain to recognize who it was.

Kagome bolted upright in her cot.

"You!"

The little girl smiled happily, even giggled, at being recognized before hugging Kagome tightly around her midsection,

"You're finally awake 'Gome!"

Kagome petted the girl's head distractedly while she looked around at where she was.

Honestly, it didn't surprise her at all. She was on a plain white cot inside a dark holding cell. The walls were made of a grey stone except for the one wall that led out into a dimly lit hallway, which was instead made of black metal bars. Kagome knew that the whole cell was reinforced against reiatsu, she could feel it, and she didn't like it. It felt like a heavy towel had been placed over her head, muffling her senses. There was no furniture besides the cot she sat on and a single wooden stool tucked away in a corner. The lack of decor didn't bother her but the lack of her sword did. Kagome looked down at the little girl still in her arms,

"Hey sweetie?"

"Mm"

"Do you know where they took my sword?"

The girl nodded vigorously, her pink hair bouncing as she turned and pointed past the black bars toward a figure leaning against the wall just beyond them.

"Kenny took it for safekeeping"

Kagome felt her eye twitch at the word ‘safekeeping’,

_Safekeeping my ass._

She finally took notice of  'Kenny'. It took a couple of seconds to see through the dim lighting but when she did she smiled. Her smile was genuine and warm as she regarded the man fondly. It had been years since she had last seen him and she had missed him.

"Hey" she called out softly.

He was tall and imposing with spiked black hair ending in tiny bells and a black eye patch covering one eye. His face was blank of any emotion, and had she been any other, Kagome would have been unsettled.

"What have you done girl?" he spoke gruffly with a narrowed eye.

She lifted the girl off her bed and onto the floor, pulling the sheets back as she slowly tried to stand. Her vision flickered for a moment but it cleared up as she found her balance. Kagome approached the closed door of the cell to get a better look at him. He was definitely taller than last she saw him, she noted. She smiled, he seemed to be doing well for himself. She was still in her sleeping yukata but Kagome noticed she also had an outer haori on and she knew for a fact it wasn't hers.

"Whose is this?" she asked, completely disregarding the previous question, gesturing at the garment.

"Don't know," was the curt response.

It was a white Captain's robe she observed. She knew it wasn't Hitsugaya's because the sleeves of it had been cut off, or more like ripped off, and Toshiro's was pristine and whole. She snorted, she wouldn't be surprised if the Tenth Captain ironed his robes every morning before going to work.

Shippou came around to her and sniffed the fabric delicately before turning toward the man almost as if he was pointing.

 _' It's his_ _'_ a familiar voice informed her.

"So, so...so…" Kagome mumbled. It had been so long since she last saw the man she considered her brother that it was hard to think of what to say. She took a moment to think of what she wanted to say, "So you're a Captain?"

He nodded slowly, bells jingling faintly, not phased by the fox’s seeming high level of intelligence.

Kagome almost burst from pride, she always knew he was a skilled fighter.  More questions flooded into her mind as she quickly shrugged off the white robe, turning it over in her hands. There, written on the fabric boldly was the kanji for eleven. Kagome paused. One blink, two blinks,

"You're Kenpachi now…" she mumbled. She was sure the shock of the recent events was catching up to her. Normally she would have shouted her realization to the world but all she could do was numbly state the obvious. After all these years…

"Who’s your Lieutenant?" Kagome suddenly blurted out looking up at Kenpachi for answers.

Instead, she felt a tug on her pants that brought her attention to the bouncing girl next to her,

"Yachiru is Kenny’s Lieutenant!"

"The correct term is _I am_ , Yachiru, don't use third person." Kagome absentmindedly corrected the phrase familiar on her tongue. She looked between the two Shinigami while Shippou curled up on the floor to nap,

"When did this happen?"

Yachiru started to count on her fingers before she found that she didn't have enough of the appendages to properly count. She threw her hands in the air, giving up,

"It was a real long time ago!"

Kagome glanced up from the little girl, a little hurt, to look towards Kenpachi.

_Why didn't you look for me?_

He held her gaze before calling to Yachiru that it was time to leave. Together the two from Squad Eleven walked away, leaving Kagome to stare woodenly into space, her thoughts whirling around in her mind.

After the two Shinigami left, and Kagome got over most of the shock, she started to pace.  
Back and forth across the floor of her tiny cell. Shippou padded quietly behind her, amused by her habit. Kagome abruptly stopped pacing, only to sit on her cot with a huff and place her head in her hands.

 _' What am I going to do? I'm in a cell, my reiatsu is suppressed and by now they must know who I am_ . _'_ _  
_

Ever the voice of calm, her sword answered her _'Calm yourself,_ _it will be fine. Besides, you have two Captains on your side. '  
_

_' Yeah but what if- '  
_

' _Nothing will happen_ ' he told her, his tone confident. She needed reassurance and he would give her that, even if he didn't believe in it himself.  
Kagome took a deep breath and, on the exhale, loosened her death grip on the thin cotton sheets. She knew she was panicking and that she needed to rest and recenter herself.

 _' _Res_ t, you have been awake for almost two straight days _ _'_ she heard her own thoughts echoed back to her by her Zanpakuto.

Kagome nodded in agreement yawning and curling up on the stiff mattress. Willingly succumbing to sleep's embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnnd here we got some History with Kenpachi


	7. Don't Lie to Me

When Kagome next woke it was Toshiro who came to visit her. Unlike the previous times she had seen him, his posture was stiff and his expression was blank. He was in full Captain mode, the picture of cold and uncaring, and it scared her. He took out the keys to the cell and unlocked it, swinging open the door with a little more force than necessary making it bang loudly against the next cell over and causing Kagome to flinch. She had already been up and pacing before he came so when Hitsugaya opened the door she was already walking out toward him. Kagome stopped directly in front of the Captain and stared down at what had become her best friend. Toshiro looked up at her with something in his eyes that she couldn't quite pin down but if she had to guess she'd say it was a mix of worry and anger. Wordlessly, he turned and made his way down the corridor. Kagome followed, of course, and Shippou tried to follow too but Hitsugaya made it clear that the fox was not allowed to accompany them.

Hitsugaya led Kagome down the corridor until they were almost out of the prison but Kagome’s hopes were dashed when they made a turn she hadn’t seen and went down an arduously long flight of stairs. They finally came to a large stone door and Hitsugaya motioned for Kagome to go inside first. The moment her hand touched the cool rock she knew it wasn't ordinary stone. Her powers moved to her fingertips and seemed to pool into the handle of the door. Nevertheless, Kagome gripped it firmly and pulled the door open with a yank that took quite a bit of her strength. As quick as possible she withdrew her now slightly sweaty palm.

The entire room seemed to be made of the same material as the door, which made her extremely uncomfortable, and was barren except for a low wooden table and a black cushion. Kagome had an inkling that the cushion wasn't for her so she sat on the opposite end of the table. Hitsugaya followed behind her, grim faced as he sat down. He sighed slightly and stared Kagome straight in the eyes as if daring her to squirm. Normally she would have but this situation called for a different kind of posture.

"Name?"

"Kagome Higurashi"

"Soul Number?"

"73106"

Her response surprised him though he gave no outward inclination. When a soul appears in the soul society they are given a soul number, an id, that is unique to them. The first two numbers indicate the district the soul is assigned to and the others indicate the time of their arrival in relation to others of the same district. Once again Hitsugaya realized how little he really knew about Kagome Higurashi.

"There is a 73106 in the Academy records but not under the name Kagome Higurashi, care to explain that?"

In the back of his mind he realized how hard it was going to be to defend her case if her credentials didn’t even match up.

Kagome almost growled in frustration at his frigidness but answered the question anyway,

"My name was misspelled on the entrance form and I never saw to correct it until after I had graduated. You will probably find my school records under the name Kiname Higurishi."

"You say you corrected it but there are no records of a Shinigami under the name Kagome Higurashi"

"That’s impossible I gave my forms to the Captain…" She paused, "Look, I’m not lying-"

"I believe you" Hitsugaya interrupted tersely, drawing a surprised look from Kagome, “Captain?" he prompted her to continue.

"It's in my file" was Kagome’s stubborn reply. She never wanted to say that man’s name again and nothing could make her do so. He had violated her soul, branded her like an animal and now that he was gone she thought she would never have to think about him ever again.

"It is." Hitsugaya sighed, she was acting like a child and with the two of them as they were, it was almost laughable.

_But you know I can’t continue until you corroborate this information._

The urge to let his emotions run free was frightening and he struggled to keep them silent, he could feel the bitterness rising up in him. It was standard procedure, even she had to know that; giving your name, Soul Number and squad Captain, to make sure all discrepancies were dealt with. It shouldn’t be this difficult.

Kagome’s hand were shaking under the table and her mind was scrambled, threatening to take her under, to drown her, and relive the past. Why couldn’t he see?

 _Ask me anything else!_ she screamed in her mind.

The icy blue stare directed at her didn’t hold compassion or understanding, only anger and distrust. She knew he couldn’t continue without this information to match up with the information on record. She wanted to lie, god she wanted to lie so bad but this room, something about it made her want to puke at the thought. It took her another five minutes of silence to draw up her courage

"Aizen, Sosuke Aizen"

Those words seemed to break her and she slumped further in her sitting position, finally earning a semi concerned look from Toshiro before the icy mask of indifference was back.

"Why did you leave?"

"I-" she clamped her mouth shut, eyes wide.

"You cannot lie here, Kagome, I’m surprised you even managed to stay silent."

Her eyes darted around the room dawning in realization. It all came rushing to her; the door, the power drain, the truth waiting to spill from her lips. This room, the whole room, was made of Piedra de Verdad or Soul Stone. Only found in Hueco Mundo, it absorbs spiritual power and makes it impossible to lie. _Of course they would have something like this_ her thoughts slinked through her mind, bitter with frustration and residual fear.

Anger. Kagome could feel it welling up inside her like a tidal wave _and who was she to stop it?_

"You must think I’m pathetic," she hissed, "A stupid, runaway deserter who’s stuck back at the beginning. Do you think I want to be here? In this room, in my cell, Gods, I was afraid to be in my own house for the longest time! I-"

Kagome could feel her lips part against her will words on her tongue, ready to tell every detail. She bit her tongue, hard, letting the copper taste fill her mouth. The pain brought her back within her own control, barely, she doubted it would work a second time. She glared harshly at the person who had at one time been her best and only friend.

"Kagome" Toshiro tried to speak but Kagome looked away as if it was painful to look him in the eyes.

"No. Don’t. Please continue with this little interrogation; I don't want to be here any longer than I have to."

He winced inwardly at her words before doing as she requested, there were still some things he needed to sort out.

"Why did you leave?" Hitsugaya repeated the question.

The words tumbled out of Kagome’s lips,

"I didn't leave because I wanted to. Being a Shinigami was important to me, I _wanted_ to come back." Even to herself she sounded a little desperate.

Kagome took a deep breath, craning her neck to stare at the ceiling before looking back at him. She seeming to choke on her words before finally getting them out

"I knew too much I guess," She had to keep tight reign over herself, only allowing vague truths to escape, "and before you ask, no, I don’t know why he didn’t just kill me and be done with it"

Hitsugaya blinked. The answer was vague but it was the second half of her statement that felt like he had been stabbed with his own sword, the bitter resentment she spoke with at having _not_ been killed hurt to listen to. It twisted something foul in his stomach but the whispers of duty nudged him onwards

"What did you know?" he pushed.

"Aizen, he-" Kagome could feel the seal start to activate, a familiar burning on her tongue as she tried to steer the conversation into safer waters, "He wanted to keep me quiet."

"Why did you run, why not tell another Captain?"

Kagome looked at him incredulously, "You think I could just go up to another Captain and say ‘hey by the way my Captain is kinda evil and threatened me to keep quiet but I can’t really tell you anything specific because-"

She almost said it: _because he sealed it._ Because he took a piece of her soul and turned it against her. Because he branded her so that she couldn’t tell anybody even if she wanted to. She almost said it but the barbed pain on her tongue and down her throat stopped her.

"Because?" He prompted.

Hitsugaya needed to know how much information she was going to be able to give. He knew something was preventing her from telling the whole of it. He could also imagine the kinds of things Aizen had hidden away while he was Captain, things he buried or evidence he destroyed. Secrets that Kagome was now the key to unlocking.

"Because I can't. _I can't_." She looked directly in his eyes, a hand rubbing at her throat, face slightly pained.

Toshiro was beyond angry. The moment the pieces came together he had never felt so inadequate. He had known Aizen used to modify souls but this was beyond anything he had done and he hoped the ex-captain burned in the eighth layer for it.

Hitsugaya was beginning to feel the effects of the room himself and knew Kagome must be suffering even moreso.

"We’re almost done here, why did you reveal yourself? You could have stayed inside."

_You could have stayed protected._

Kagome jerked back with narrowed eyes "I couldn’t just leave those people out there to die! There were five Adjuchas Toshiro, five! Even if they were Shinigami those kinds of wounds were fatal!" She huffed, "It was the right thing to do."

He sighed. They were done. Aizen resided in the final layer of prison underneath the First Division Barracks and would be staying there for twenty thousand years and as much as Hitsugaya wanted to punish him further, he couldn’t. A voice whispered in the back of his head that they weren’t done with Aizen yet but he ignored the feeling for now.

"I have to read you your crimes."

She nodded her understanding.

"Absence without leave, reckless endangerment, resistance to arrest, and…" he paused, the words feeling heavy on his tongue, "the suspected murder of Kikyou Shinai."

_Suspected… Murder?_

He took a moment to close his eyes before he regarded her as she sat silently with a blank countenance,

"God, Kagome, do you have any idea what kind of situation you're in?"

She didn’t respond. Everything seemed as if it was underwater. She could hear Toshiro’s words but she didn’t _hear_ him. The erratic beating of her heart sent blood rushing through her head.

_Murder_

"I didn't… I didn’t hurt her. I would never…"

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at her “There is evidence that says otherwise” he was telling the truth when he said that. Kikyou had been found in her room stabbed through the heart and badly burned. The burns matched with the type of Zanpakuto Kagome uses but there were other flames users. There hadn’t been any other evidence except for the testimony of the Fifth Captain at that time, Sosuke Aizen, which is why the charge was “suspected murder” but Hitsugaya didn’t know that. He’d only saw the charges written on her file and any other information that had been placed there.

She looked at him sharply, focusing on his face for the first time, "How. Dare. You. How dare you!" she seethed before she raised her voice, "I DIDN’T kill her!"

"Kagome-"

"I DID NOT MURDER MY SISTER!" Kagome faced at him angrily "I DIDN’T-" her voice broke, "I didn’t even know she was dead."


	8. Chapter 8

"Kagome..." Hitsugaya didn't really know what he was going to say anymore.

Kagome was silent, staring just past him at the wall, and unmoving. Too many thoughts shoved themselves to the forefront of her mind. Images of Kikyou sprung into being with knife sharp clarity. Smiling, laughing, crying.

Suddenly Kagome wasn't there anymore. instead she knelt in the muddy street, barefoot and barely clothed as Kikyou walked away from her, spine straight, without so much as a glance back. The pace her sister set was brisk and the pain in Kagome's knees wasn't even a concern, it barely registered. She didn't remember what excuse Kikyou had given her or leaving, what she had said to placate Kagome when she was being left behind, only that she had cried and raged and screamed when Kikyou turned away. _  
_

_"I hate you!"  
_

She blinked back to the present. It was all too much. She could feel her heart beginning to race and the burning of her throat warning of a complete meltdown. She breathed in bitter air and tried to push Kikyou to the back of her mind; push everything to the back of her mind. Kikyou, Toshiro, Aizen; all of it had to go. It wasn't safe for her to grieve or fall apart just yet. She scrubbed her thoughts away as much as possible before putting a nice rug on top of them to hide them from view and they would stay under that rug until she was alone enough to look at them again. She didn't care if that made her a coward because it was the only thing keeping her sane.

Toshiro stood from the cushion and moved to the door giving Kagome a worried glance before exiting, leaving Kagome still kneeling in the cold room. Eventually the strain on her reiatsu and the stress from the previous conversation persuaded her to lay down on the cold floor and swept her into a fitful, exhausted sleep.

She felt even worse when that sleep was interrupted a little while later by someone opening the door to the room,

"I'm here to take you back to your cell."

Kagome cracked open a sleepy eyelid to see who exactly was talking to her. Red hair, sharp eyes, definitely a male figure, she concluded that this was the Lieutenant who had been with Hitsugaya earlier, fighting the Adjuchas.

Kagome answered his statement with a glare before pointedly turning away from him on the floor. She could feel the drain on her energy and the alluring lull of sleep, tempting her with the promise of escape. At this point she didn't mind if she died from the depletion, just leave her there on the floor, close that door and _walk away_. While the intrusive thought mildly surprised her, Kagome found herself caring less and less as her vision started to fade around the edges.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair looking back at the girl on the floor. Hitsugaya had told him to be patient with her but really, this was just ridiculous and unnecessarily obstinate. He considered the amount of time she had spent in this particular cell and had to hand it to her for even being semiconscious. He sighed again and bent down to pick the girl up, expecting a fight. However, she laid limp in his grip and he was thankful for small mercies as he began the trek back to her original cell.

 

* * *

 

Kagome was first aware of her breathing, the steady rise and fall of her chest, the sound of air being inhaled and exhaled softly. She strained to hear what was around her only to be welcomed with silence. It was not the steady beat of nature that she had expected, but a raw silence, interrupted only by her echoing breaths. Kagome opened her eyes to a shaded forest, soft moss covered ground populated by looming trees, the canopy above her so thick that hardly any light shone through to dapple the soil. It was both offsetting and strangely familiar.

Kagome stepped forward hesitantly before freezing all together at a rustle in the bushes, the sound of it making her flinch. Nothing else stirred for several moments but just as she began to take another step a fox darted out in front of her. It was odd in that she knew she had never seen this animal before but in the back of her mind she also knew that she had. The amber fur covering the fox blended into black socks and a cream tipped tail. Originating from his paws, blue flames spread and danced along his figure.

 _'You don’t want to go that way,'_ a voice rumbled, seeming to resonate both inside her head and out loud.

"Ok… where to then?"

_'Follow me'_

 

* * *

 

 

The next time Kagome woke up Shippou was pawing at her face and harsh light came from the lights in the ceiling. She grumbled and sat up, effectively also shoving the fox off the bed and onto the floor. Shippou let out an indignant yip before strutting towards the open door.

_Wait a minute..._

Kagome jumped when she realized the door was open and someone was waiting for her to get up. She remembered him vaguely. He had fought the hollows with Hitsugaya when she had been healing the others and… _and…_ she remembered seeing him in the doorway of the interrogation room.

_No way... He didn't carry me back, did he?_

His red hair was pulled up in a high, spiky ponytail and tattoos sprawled from his eyebrows up in sharp triangles. He cleared his throat to get her attention. Once Kagome was looking at him he spoke,

"I'm here to take you to Captain Zaraki."

Kagome got out of bed and walked toward the door slowly. While her rest had allowed her emotions to calm somewhat she still felt unsettled with the death of someone she considered family. Kagome pushed the thought out of her mind as words echoed back to her from a conversation she didn’t remember:

_'Dwelling will do you no good'_

She pulled herself from her thoughts and gazed expectantly at the red haired Lieutenant,

"Lead the way."

The two -three including Shippou- walked in silence through a maze of turns and corridors making Kagome absolutely and frustratingly lost. Unable to take it anymore, she broke the silence,

"So, what's your name? I didn't catch it."

He didn't even look at her, keeping his eyes firmly focused ahead of them,

"Never gave it."

"Typical," she mumbled under her breath.

"What did you say?" the Lieutenant turned to face her, voice clearly betraying his agitation, and Kagome fought the urge to smirk at the small petty victory while they continued to walk.

"Hm? Nothing," she batted her eyes at him, looking the picture of innocence, "I was just wondering what your name was that's all. Just trying to be polite and make civilized conversation."

The redhead grumbled out an unintelligible noise at her excuse but Kagome wasn’t done needling him yet, it was too fun.

"Guess that must be hard for you," she muttered, being careful to make it just loud enough for him to catch.

Kagome could practically see the veins popping out of his skull.

"Listen here you!-"

“My name’s Kagome, not 'you'" she even put air quotes around ‘you’, "and since you know my name, it's only fair that I know yours."

Like a predator she could smell his annoyance but unfortunately for her their time was done as they approached the end of the hallway. The Lieutenant smiled, relieved that he would get to leave the girl in the hands of Captain Zaraki. His grin turned almost evil, he couldn’t wait to bring her back to the cell once the Captain was through with her, he was sure she wouldn't be so cheeky then. The door at the end of the corridor was in sight and he had never been so happy to see a door in his life. The exit opened, beaming in holy light, before revealing Captain Komamura.

"Ah, thank you Renji, I can take it from here."

The light shattered.

Kagome snickered beside him, "Yes, thank you _Renji._ I enjoyed our trip. Visit me again!"

She waved as she walked toward the Seventh Captain and out of Renji’s sight leaving the poor man alone.

He sighed, _'What did I do to deserve this?'_


	9. Make Mountains Move

Kagome walked silently beside the Seventh Captain both curious and wary of him. She felt fidgety and almost scared to be near him. Something whispered,

_Demon_

And it was that very same thing that was telling her to run as fast and as far as possible.

Kagome realized she was staring and looked away, quickly focusing on the passing scenery instead. Plain walls and the occasional shoji screen were the only things visible to her and did little to distract her frayed nerves.

No one else was walking the same halls as them and Kagome had long ago lost track of how many turns they had taken. Soon enough their path opened into the outside as the hallway became a fenced walkway surrounding an empty pavilion. They passed through another building in silence before coming to a stop at a clearing. It was obviously used as a training ground. Targets littered the far side opposite from where Kagome and Captain Komamura stood and scuff marks from fights were evident in the dirt. The two didn't have to wait long before Kenpachi arrived. Casually nodding to his fellow Captain, Kenpachi waited until Komamura had left before speaking.

"I'm here to test you," he grinned, "show me what you got."

Kagome huffed, sharing her own grin before launching herself at him, sword drawn. She swung down hard with her blade trying to gain any sort of advantage but to no avail. Feints, jabs, thrusts, slashes, none of them worked as they all were blocked or parried. The two broke apart with only one of them breathing heavily. Kenpachi hadn’t even moved an inch as Kagome tried to get a hit in. She rained blow after blow down only to get them all blocked. For all her training she sure felt like a fool. She didn't want to be hasty but the result of the fight, if she continued as she was, was clear.

This is going nowhere fast.

"Burn all but the sky" Kagome spoke softly as her sword transformed into its Shikai. Kagome's Zanpakuto now resembled a much heavier sword roughly a hand wide and 5 long.

Reminiscent of a Moro Kris, a wavy sword not commonly seen as a Zanpakuto, the peaks of the curves were pointed instead of the traditional rounded shape giving the blade a somewhat serrated look. It also had the middle of the blade cut out leaving a pointed oval shape in the center. It was odd enough for Kenpachi to spare it a glance and fleeting thought but since it served no discernible purpose he let the silent inquiry go.

For such a small person it seemed impossible that Kagome could lift such a huge sword but she did so with no visible effort. Blue flames licked along its edge playfully. Again, they clashed, but this time Kagome was able to burn her opponent when the flames flared randomly. She pettily counted it as a hit. Again however she failed to move him and frustration began to creep in. She was determined to make him move anyway she could.

_Time to kick it up a notch. Let show him what we can really do._

Her sword spirit began to protest, _I don't think we sh-_

Kagome knew she was being too hasty but she was determined to move him even if it was only a step. She _needed_ to show him.

She leapt away a good distance from the Eleventh Captain to give herself some breathing room. Concentrating, Kagome gathered together her power, the fruits of countless days spent by herself with only Shippou for company in the basement of her shop. It gave her a deep satifaction to see the grin on Kenpachi widen as she whispered,

"Bankai."

With a flick of her wrist her sword snapped open to reveal the structure of a bow. The gap that had seemed like an aesthetic choice was now revealed to be functional as the inner curve spilt and served as the curve of the bow, bladed edges facing out. The string connected at the tip of the two half blades pulled taut as they fell further away from each other. Her sword grip had hinged at the bottom and connected the two swords together, giving the bow a proper grip while around her ten glowing arrows floated.

Kagome plucked an arrow from in front of her and loaded it into her bow, drawing back the string and grinning at satisfaction as her whole weapon lit ablaze with azure flames. Eyes locked onto her target she watched the arrow streak away like a comet, heading straight for Kenpachi… only to see him dodge it. The disappointment was immediate and it shattered her focus.

Going up against Kenpachi was like going up against a brick wall. Kagome narrowed her eyes, a brick wall indeed. She went in for another exchange with the bladed end of her weapon but it was too soon. Her thoughts weren't organized and her moves were sloppy.

Almost immediately Kenpachi had maneuvered behind her and held his own blade up against her throat. It was over and deep down Kagome knew she had never really stood a chance, but still, she had wanted to make him move, just one step. She hadn’t come into the fight hoping to win, she hadn’t really known what she'd wanted out of it, but when she saw the difference in their power she wanted to show that she…

That she wouldn’t disappoint him.

A hand on her head brought her back to reality as she felt her hair get ruffled.

"H-hey! Don’t do that!" she squirmed away from Kenpachi’s grasp while he looked at her with his one eye.

"You’ve gotten better"

She huffed, puffing out her proverbial chest "Well of course I did. Last time we fought I was, what, six?"

Kenpachi grinned "Now you fight like you’re eight"

Kagome almost screamed.


End file.
